It’s really easy to get distracted during a Major League Baseball game. And actually, there’s nothing wrong with it, so long as you’re a fan and not one of the people actually playing the game.
Such was the hard lesson Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell was reminded of Thursday during the third inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Phillies’ batter Andres Blanco took a big swing and his bat just kept on swinging right out of his hands and into the bleachers off first base. That caught the attention of Bell, whose eyes followed the flying bat instead of the ball that catcher Elias Diaz had fired his way to try to get Philly baserunner Andrew Knapp. By the time Bell realized what had happened, the ball sailed into the outfield and, thanks to a shifted outfield, Knapp bolted around the bases to score an easy run.
Baseball: You never know what you’re going to get pic.twitter.com/pgLcVW7ytN
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 7, 2017
In fairness, who among us wouldn’t have looked at the bat as well? Plus, Diaz, who was charged with the error, seemingly decided to attempt the pickoff without really checking in with his first basemen. That thing could have been a throwing error even if Bell had been paying attention.
Don’t feel too bad for Elias. He hit a two-run home run in the next inning to get that run back.
[CSN Philly]
